Repetition
by fieryashes91597
Summary: In Konoha, history repeats itself.


A pale boy with straight black hair lays on the grass quietly staring up at the sky. He's early because he doesn't have any other friends or family or hobbies to occupy his time. As he waits, he mentally goes over every jutsu he has ever learned.

Next comes a swaggering, white-haired boy with an insane grin after a particularly interesting morning at the hot springs. He arrives right on time and plops down next to the pale boy without a word.

Finally there's a whirlwind of blond and teal and the ground shakes slightly, although the boys don't seem to notice. She arrives late and last and in a huff, grumbling about having to bring her grandfather his lunch because his stupid council meeting ran late again.

Then they are all laying side by side staring up into the sky. They have all agreed (a rarity) that Konoha has the best clouds in all the nations. Sure, Kumo has the right fluffy texture, but the clouds there are far too few and sit stagnant in the sky without the breeze to move them. Suna has the necessary wind but the land is too dry and hot for any clouds to be in the sky at all. Kiri has the numbers but the clouds there are dreary and flat and dark with the threat of rain. Iwa's clouds were decent enough on rare days but the ground was rocky and sharp so there was no place to lay and look at them.

Konoha was the only place with the fluffy texture in the right amount of numbers. It was the only place with soft grass to lie on and a breeze to freely move the clouds across the sky.

Sometimes they would just sit quietly together and watch. Other times they would point to one and take turns saying what it looked like. It could be a bunny or a snake or a curvy woman all depending on who you asked.

As they lie there, two of them are wishing that things always stay this way. The third has already decided against such a future. He will leave them and their home behind. He is already planning a defection that is over a decade away.

* * *

He's gone one day, leaving behind a trail of bodies and failed experiments and vows of future destruction. Tsunade is angry and betrayed. She hates how he's twisted their common love for medicine, how she has unknowingly helped him with his degradation. She can't shake off the nightmares of clones of her dead grandfather coming to strangle her in her bed. Jiraiya is guilty and sad. He blames himself for not seeing the signs sooner and, more so, for not being able to bring his friend back. Eventually, he'll blame himself even more for giving up.

It's not long before there are no Legendary Sannin left in the village. Konoha had become an endless cycle of suffocation and loss and memories for them. Orochimaru grew tired of the restrictions peace and morals placed on progress. Tsunade could no longer stay in a place where loved ones with dreams of Hokage died young. Jiraiya could not bear to be surrounded by reminders of the people he failed. And the list of names on the memorial stone was growing too long and too familiar for any of them.

* * *

The only thing worse than history repeating itself is watching it happen helplessly from the sidelines.

Tsunade is there when the Uchiha deserts. She witnesses a young medic break and a reckless boy vow to bring his friend back. She watches the mirror image of her old team fall apart all over again. She is in Konoha, after all. This is the place where history repeats itself. Grimly, she decides to take advantage of it and repeat the last hour with two more bottles of sake.

* * *

A pale man with straight black hair waits on the grass quietly staring up at the sky. He's early because he doesn't have any friends or family or hobbies to occupy his time. The list of jutsu he knows is too long now to bother reciting. He'd never finish in time.

Next comes a strolling, white-haired man with a confident grin after a particularly good day of research and writing. He arrives right on time and plops down next to the pale man without a word.

Finally the ground begins to shake quite a lot. The men can't help but notice, but they only smile slightly in response. She arrives late and last and in a huff, grumbling about how her stupid council meeting ran late again.

Then they are all laying side by side staring up into the sky. They're half a century older now...although two look as though they've only aged less than two decades.

Konoha's two most notorious traitors have long ago returned to the village as war heroes, carrying long to-do lists of amends. Somehow, Kakashi wasn't lying when he promised that everything would be fine. It just took more time than expected. Still, the Sannins' younger counterparts always believed it would happen eventually. Two of the ninja laying on the grass never expected it or dared to hope. The third had been planning his return for years before his redemption.

The sky is dark and cloudless and the stars are shining brightly tonight. They just sit there quietly and stare at the sky. But if asked, they would be ready to point out the images they see amongst the stars. One sees a sake bottle. Another sees a tomoe pattern. And the last sees a curvy woman (because some things never change).

For once, it's not a bad thing that history repeats itself.


End file.
